Too much foam

Long time brewer, 2nd time kegger.

Everything went well on my first kegged batch of Brown Ale. Now that I've upped the CO2 volume on my IPA, I'm having foam issues.

My carb target is 2.8 volumes at 42 degrees which puts my pressure at 17PSI. Using 3/16" ID vinyl tubing, I need at least 5.3 feet to balance my system. I'm using 10ft and I'm still getting lots of foam.

How do I reduce my foam?

d_striker said:

Long time brewer, 2nd time kegger.

Everything went well on my first kegged batch of Brown Ale. Now that I've upped the CO2 volume on my IPA, I'm having foam issues.

My carb target is 2.8 volumes at 42 degrees which puts my pressure at 17PSI. Using 3/16" ID vinyl tubing, I need at least 5.3 feet to balance my system. I'm using 10ft and I'm still getting lots of foam.

How do I reduce my foam?

Click to expand...

You shouldn't have foam with 10', but definitely the calculation of 5.3 feet is wrong.

In my 40 degree kegerator, I get some foam if I go over 13 psi, though, even with 10' lines. You could try 15' lines, and that will get rid of the foam. I needed 30' lines for soda, at 30 psi.

I used the calculation on this page:

http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/keg-line-length-balancing-the-science-of-draft-beer/

L = (keg_pressure – 1 psi) / Resistance
So starting with our example of 12 psi keg pressure, and some typical 3/16″ vinyl keg tubing (which loses 3 lb/ft) we get L= (12-1)/3 which is 3.66 feet. So a 12 psi kegging system would provide 1 psi of pressure at the tap with 3.66 feet of tubing.

What's the proper equation?

Trying to serve a 2.8 vol beer at 42° is going to be a challenge. You're going to need pretty long lines to slow the beer way down, since the CO2 is really going to want to escape as soon as it's at atmospheric pressure.

d_striker said:

I used the calculation on this page:

http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/keg-line-length-balancing-the-science-of-draft-beer/

L = (keg_pressure – 1 psi) / Resistance
So starting with our example of 12 psi keg pressure, and some typical 3/16″ vinyl keg tubing (which loses 3 lb/ft) we get L= (12-1)/3 which is 3.66 feet. So a 12 psi kegging system would provide 1 psi of pressure at the tap with 3.66 feet of tubing.

What's the proper equation?

Click to expand...

That is the "proper" equation, but that doesn't mean it's safe to use for everyone. It calculates the MINIMUM length that can be used without creating a foamy mess under assumed ideal conditions. Your actual conditions or idea of ideal conditions may be much different.

If you serve your beer a little warmer than the commercial industry standard of ~36-38° (like most of us homebrewers do), then you'll need longer lines to slow the pour down a little and keep the CO2 in solution. If you want to carb your beer over ~2.7 vol, you'll also need longer lines to keep the CO2 in solution. There's also a lot of variance in the actual resistance of the line between manufacturers or even between batches. The equation also assumes that the line resistance is a constant, when it's actually variable depending on the beer velocity. Sharp shoulders, restrictions, or expansions in the area the beer flows through from fittings and shanks that aren't ideally sized or designed can also knock CO2 out of solution, and longer lines help prevent this.

The only side effect of longer lines is a slightly slower pour. It's also much easier to trim lines that are a little too long than it is to get short lines to grow longer. There are a lot of variables involved, so calculating the shortest possible length that won't create foam isn't easy. Since extra long lines compensate for less than ideal real world conditions without any negative side effects, why not use them instead of trying to calculate and use the bare minimum length?

d_striker said:

I used the calculation on this page:

http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/keg-line-length-balancing-the-science-of-draft-beer/

L = (keg_pressure – 1 psi) / Resistance
So starting with our example of 12 psi keg pressure, and some typical 3/16″ vinyl keg tubing (which loses 3 lb/ft) we get L= (12-1)/3 which is 3.66 feet. So a 12 psi kegging system would provide 1 psi of pressure at the tap with 3.66 feet of tubing.

What's the proper equation?

Click to expand...

As the above stated, that equation is fine (and the one I used for my setup.) I understand the reasoning people use to just throw line at these keg systems, but there can be other factors to look into before buyin 50' of line .

A few things to check...

1. Did you make sure the O-ring at the beer post was in good condition after you cleaned from your previous batch? That fitting can get messed up and cause foam issues.

2. Has your temperature changed? If your temp has dropped a bit and you have slushy beer you will get foam that way as well.

BrewLou said:

As the above stated, that equation is fine (and the one I used for my setup.) I understand the reasoning people use to just throw line at these keg systems, but there can be other factors to look into before buyin 50' of line .

A few things to check...

1. Did you make sure the O-ring at the beer post was in good condition after you cleaned from your previous batch? That fitting can get messed up and cause foam issues.

2. Has your temperature changed? If your temp has dropped a bit and you have slushy beer you will get foam that way as well.

Click to expand...

1.) I didn't disassemble the post between batches but it's on my to do list as yooper told me to do so in a different thread. I think you could be on to something, though, as the valve button in the post will stick open slightly and shoot beer up when I remove the pin lock fitting. I thought that maybe it was solidified sugars or something.

2.). The temp has been stable and well above freezing.